Photo-touch sensitive apparatus



p ,1936. IE.V.BERECHE 2,052,916

PHOTO TOUCH SENSITIVE APPARATUS Filed April 4, 1934 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 5726s? 1/496 cfie BYW m ATT NEY Sept. 1, 1936. I E v BERECHE 2,052,916

PHOTO TOUCH SENSITIVE APPARATUS Filed April 4, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR [77/637 Kfiere 6 ATT NEY PHOTO TOUCH SENSITIVE APPARATUS Filed April 4, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR a nes? l 1.9 86/): BY

ATTORN EY Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,052,916 rno'ro-rouou SENSITIVE APPARATUS Application April 4, 1934, Serial No. 719,054

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a photosensitive and a touch sensitive apparatus, and has for one 01 its obiects. to provide a novel, a. simple and highly eflicient apparatus of this character which may beused forthe'purpose of stopping a printing press should a break occur in the web of paper in the press. or should a workman approach dangercusly near the plate or impression cylinders or other exposed'moving: parts of the press.

The invention has for its. further object to provide an apparatus of the character stated which may be also used for the purpose of controlling. an elevator, sounding a burglar alarm, and the likewith theforegoing and other objects in view, the nature of which will appear as the description proceeds, the. invention resides in the construction,.combi-nation and arrangement oi parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illus- B. trated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1'. is aiview partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section of. the apparatus 'Figure. 2' is a sectional. view taken on the horizontal plane indicated by the line 2.-.2*oi Figure l;

55 Figure. 3. is asectional view taken on the vertical planes indicated by'the line 3-3 of Figure-2'; Figure 4' is a sectional view taken on the. hori' zontal plane: indicatedfby the. line 4-4;- of Figure 1,

Figure 5'i'sa diagrammatic view of the. apparatus, and

Figurefi is a diagrammatic view of the bridge I The apparatus comprisesa transformer l which includes a primary 2' and secondaries 3* and 4.

35 The primary 2. is supplied with alternating'current preferably of commercial frequency and voltage. from line wires5 and 6, to. which it is con-- nected by conductors: I and 8 terminally provided with a plug 9. I One of the line wires, such as 6, may be grounded, as indicated at 9 -An electron-discharge tube It. has its cathode H connected to'the secondary 3 by conductors l2 and $3; The anode I 4 of the tube III is 'connected by a conductor Hi to a relay I i which is connected by a conductor IE to the secondary 4. The control electrode or grid I3 of the tube |l| is connected by conductors 20, and 20 to a potentiometer 2| which has its coil 22 shunted across the cathode supply conductors, l2 and I3, and which has. one of its ends grounded, as at 23- to the chassis 36. A normally closed meterjack 24 is connected in the. conductor |5 between the anode It and the relay H5.

55 r A photoelectric cell 25- has its cathode 26 connected to the conductor 20 between the control electrode or grid l9 of the tube H1 and the potentiometer 2|'.. The anode 21 of the cell 25 is connected by a conductor 28 to a variable resistance 29 which is connected to the conductors I3 and 5 l8 across the terminals of the secondary A condenser 30 is connected in the conductor 20. between the potentiometer 2| and the cathode 2.6 of the cell, 25. A touch control. wire 3| is connected to the conductor 20. between the control electrode or. grid |-9 of the tube l0 and the cathode 26 of thecell 25. A touch; element 3| which may be in the formof a solid metal disc, a mesh disc or a metal rod, is connected to the freee. terminal of the touch control wire 3|. 1 3

Fig. .6 is. a diagram of applicants bridge circuit which may beof help in the following explanation.

The apparatus includes an electrical bridge composed of two legs. One of the bridge legs comprises. the. conductor I3, that portion of the 20 potentiometer 2| between conductors |31and 20 conductor 20 condenser 30 and conductor 20*.

The other leg of the bridge comprises that portion of the resistance 29 between conductors l3 and 28', conductor 28 and photoelectric cell 25. 25 Negative potential is on one. side of the bridge (when plate is positive) and the grid is connected to the other side. Touch controls 3| and 3| is secured to conductor 20 at the junction of the bridge legs which leads to the grid of tube I0. 30

. The cathode ll of the electron-discharge tube H1 is heated by current induced in the secondary 3 of the transformer. The anode M of tube In is energized every half cycle by a positive potential from secondary 4 of transformer through con- 35 ductor |8, relay I6 and meter-jack 24. The pulsating positive potential of the cathode circuit is on the ground side of the potentiometer 2| and the negative potential of this circuit is on the other side of the potentiometer. The potentiometer 2| is used in conjunction with variable resistance 29 to adjust the bridge to a balanced condition so that with photoelectric cell 25 darkened and touch control 3| and 3| untouched the grid IQ of tube ID will not have any potential impressed upon it. This will allow the grid to float, causing a small amount of plate current to flow, energizing relay Hi. When the photoelectric cell 25 is activated by light or the touch control element 3| 50 and 3P is touched, the balance of the bridge is upset, causing a negative potential to grid l9, deenergizing the relay I6.

This apparatus may be used as a paper-break detector for newspaper presses and to protect the pressmen from injury. To adapt it for use ona press, the apparatus is mounted in a casing 33 which may be supported within the press in rear of the web of paper and at a point forwardly beyond the plate andimpression cylinders of the press. The casing 33 is provided in its front wall with openings or eyes 34 and 35, in rear of which the photoelectric cell 25 is mounted. The

' several parts of the apparatus are secured to a plate or chassis 36 within the casing 33 as shown in Figure 2. The photoelectric cell 25 is secured to the chassis 36-between the eyes 34 and 35 and a shield 31 within the casing 33, the shield serving to protect the cell from all rays of light except those entering the casing through the eyes 34 and 35. The potentiometer 2| is grounded to the chassis 36. Electric lamps are arranged in front of the web of paper in alinement with the supported in any suitable manner near the plate and impression cylinders or other exposed moving-parts of the press. As the control wire 3| and its touch element 3| are adjusted to the proper grid bias of the potentiometer 2|, the body potential..of. a person touching the element 3| will increase the negative potential of the control electrode or grid I9 sufiiciently to eifect the deenergization of the relay I6. Suitable electrical means may bev provided for interrupting the power-source of the press and/or severing or bursting the web of paper near the roll when a break occurs in the web of paper or when a pressman contacts with the touch element 3| Such meansmay include electric switches 38 and .39, which are adapted to be opened by electro-magnets 40 and 4|, respectively. The electro-magnets 40 and 4| are under the control of an electric switch 42 which comprises a contact 43 connected by a conductor 44 to the line wire 5, a contact 45 7 connected by a conductor 46 to the magnet 40 and a contact 41 connected by aconductor 48 to the magnet 4|. The magnets 40 and 4| are con: nected by-a conductor 49 to the line 'Wire 6; The switch 42 also comprises an electro-magnet' 50, the armature 54 of which constitutes a movable contact of the switch 42. The contact 54 is normally urged in a direction to engage the contacts 43, 45 and 47 by a spring, not shown. The magnet 58 is connected by a conductor 5| to the conductor 8, and is connected by a conductor 52 to the fixed contact l'i of the relay switch H. The movable contact I1 of the relay switch I! is connected-by a conductor 53 to the conductor]. When the photoelectric cell 25 is in the darkened state, the relay l6 will be energized and will hold'the switchf i1 closed. The switch I! will hold the circuit of the magnet 58 closed and this magnet will hold the movable contact 54 out of engagement with. the contacts 43, 45 and 41. When, however, abreak occurs in the'web of paper or a workman contacts with the touch element ti the relay i6 will be deenergized. The conse-' 'quent opening of the relay switch I] will open the circuit of the. magnet 50, with the resultthat n the contact 54 of switch 42 will be released for movement into engagement with the contacts 43,

45 and 4'! to close the circuits of the magnets 48 and, 4|. The closing of these circuits results in the opening'of the switches 38 and 39, and the opening of these switches eifects the stopping of the press and/or the severing of the web of paper feeding through the press.

The apparatus may be used to protect workmen from injury by the moving parts of laundry and other machines. When the apparatus is used for this purpose, the eyes 34 and 35 will be closed and the touch element 3| a will be supported in such relation to the exposed moving parts of the machine that should 'a workman place his hand or fingers dangerously close to such moving parts he will contact the touch element 3| and thus cause the deenergization of the relay l6 and the operation of means under the control of the switches- 1' or 42 for stopping the machine.

The apparatus may also be used to control elevators and to protect vaults. When the apparatus is used to protect vaults, the touch element 3| may be concealed beneatha rug or mat or in any other suitable manner, it only being necessary to so arrange the touch element 3| that the body; potential of the person approaching the vaultwill be impressed upon the touch element. This element is so'sensitivethat it can not be insulated from the body potential. a When the apparatus is used to protect a vault, the switch 42 will be connected to a bell or other suitable'alarm. The apparatus may be used as a light sensitive device or as a touch sensitivedevice or as a combined light and touch sensitive device for many purposes other than those herelnbefore set forth, andits use may comprehend the controlling of any kind of signal, alarm, machine break or the like. The conductors 8, 44and 48 areencased in armored cables 54 and 55, and carried into the casing 33- through abox 56 on the side of the casing; It will be further understood the invention is adapted for usev in connection with general alarm systems, e.v g., burglar alarms, and wherein the apparatus will respond or operate quite regardless of whether the intruder is equipped with the usual devices for insulation purposes. That is to say, the apparatus is insulation proof and will operate to sound an alarm just so long as its instrumentalities are in any way interfered with. e

What I claim is: '1.

1.'In combination with an electron-discharge tube including a cathode, anode and grid and'a power transformer including a secondary connected to the cathode and a secondary connected to the anode; a potentiometerhaving one end grounded and the other. end connected to the common terminal of the anode and cathode transformer secondaries, a resistance between the terminals of theanode transformer secondary'secured to the common terminal of the anode and cathode secondaries and the other end. secured to the anode; a condenser between'a portion of the potentiometerrand the grid, a photocell between a portion of the resistance and grid, a touch control; element connected to said grid wherebythere is formed a bridge comprising a. portion of the potentiometer and condenser and touchelement as one leg of the bridge and a portion of the resistance and photocell as the other leg of the bridge, said bridge constituting a bal anced circuit when the photocell isdarkened and the touch control element is undisturbed by proximity of a body thereto. 7

2. In an electrical controlsystem abridge unit comprising a first resistor in the first leg, a second resistor in the second leg, a photo-electric cell in the third leg, and a condenser in the fourth leg, an electron discharge tube having an anode, cathode, and grid; a connection from the junction of the first and second resistors to the oathode, a connection from the junction of the photoelectric cell and condenser to the grid, and a capacitance actuated control element whose capacity varies with the proximity of any body which approaches it connected to the grid.

3. In combination an electron-discharge tube. including a cathode, anode and grid, a power transformer including a secondary connected to the cathode and a secondary connected to the anode, a potentiometer connected across the terminals of the cathode and having one terminal or its coil grounded, a resistance connected across the terminals of the secondary connected to the anode, a condenser between the potentiometer and grid, and a photoelectric cell having its cathode connected between the grid and the condenser and having its anode connected to the resistance,

and a touch element connected between the grid 10 and the cathode of the photoelectric cell.

ERNEST V. BERECHE. 

